The 25 best No. 2 overall draft picks in NBA history

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1956 draft was Si Green, a decent player during his nine-season career. Second was Russell, who, by virtue of winning 11 championships in 13 seasons, was significantly more successful. While Green's name has been lost to time, Russell is one of the most impactful players in NBA history.

With the information that was available at the time, Portland picking Greg Oden didn't look like a terrible move. Of course, injuries derailed his career before it could really take off. As for Durant, he has been one of the NBA's consistently elite offensive players for nearly two decades, still averaging upwards of 25 points per game in his late 30s.

The 1960 draft was a situation in which you'd have been happy to pick first or second. At No. 1, the Cincinnati Royals went with Oscar Robertson, one of the most dynamic and productive guards of his era. As a consolation prize, the Lakers got West, who was an All-Star in each of his 14 seasons and helped LA raise a championship banner in 1972.

Glenn Robinson was another first-overall pick his team couldn't have been too upset about: Over eight seasons in Milwaukee, he made a couple of All-Star teams and was good for at least 20 PPG in all but one of those years. As for Dallas, Kidd actually only stuck around for two full seasons (before his late-career return), although he was valuable enough to be traded for Michael Finley, who was great for the Mavs for nearly a decade.

Frank Selvy, the top pick in 1954, was decent, making two All-Star teams during his otherwise unremarkable nine seasons. The Hawks, though, landed a superstar in Pettit. His impact was immediate: He won Rookie Of The Year in his first season, MVP in his second, and a championship in his fourth.

Dallas probably doesn't regret picking Mark Aguirre with the top pick in 1981, considering he gave the franchise 24 points a game over seven-and-a-half seasons. The Pistons, though, landed Thomas, one of the defining point guards of his era. He was also a driving force behind the team's titles in 1989 and 1990, winning the Finals MVP in '90.

For the first three seasons after the 1990 draft, it looked like the Nets made the right move by grabbing Derrick Coleman over Payton. He won the Rookie Of The Year trophy and averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game over those three seasons. In the long run, though, Payton caught up, and his defense and playmaking made him one of the most memorable players of the '90s and early '00s.

1972 No. 1 pick LaRue Martin was out of the NBA after four years. During that same stretch, McAdoo had about as good a start to his career as was possible. After winning Rookie Of The Year, he led the league in scoring for three straight seasons and picked up an MVP trophy.

Shaq was the clear target of the 1992 draft, but Mourning wasn't a bad consolation prize. If not for O'Neal, Mourning's rookie-year averages of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game would have been hard to deny a ROY trophy. He had similar seasons over the next eight years, including two where he was named Defensive Player Of The Year.

Andrea Bargnani has a decent career, but relative to the expectations of a No. 1 pick, he was a bit of a flop. Aldridge, meanwhile, had a higher and longer peak. From the 2008 to 2020 seasons, he averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds a game, and while he never claimed a championship, he contributed to a lot of winning basketball for a long time.

While drafted by the Lakers, his time with the franchise was short-lived, as LA traded him to acquire Anthony Davis. Ingram fared well in his new home of New Orleans, though, winning the Most Improved Player award his first season there and getting an All-Star nod. Since then, Ingram has been great, averaging 20 points, a few rebounds, and a few assists per game annually.

2001 No. 1 pick Kwame Brown is famously one of the biggest draft busts ever, with a career that lasted 12 years but never really took off. Other picks high up in that draft worked out fantastically, though, including Chandler. He stuck around the league for 19 seasons and was one of the NBA's premier defenders for the bulk of that time, snagging a DPOY trophy in 2013.

While the public perception of Morant has taken a hit in recent years, there was a time when it looked like he was poised to be one of the NBA's next big superstars. Two seasons after winning Rookie Of The Year, he also picked up a Most Improved Player trophy, thanks to elevating his scoring average from 19 to 27 points a night. He has yet to replicate that production, but when he can manage to stay on the court, he remains dangerous.

In 1999, Elton Brand was the right pick at No. 1: He won ROTY and was consistently a 20-and-10 guy for nearly a decade, and still valuable once that statistical peak was over. Francis was a great No. 2, though, and for a spell, he was shaping up to be one of his generation's biggest stars. Unfortunately, though, injuries cut his prime much shorter than it should have been.

Although he was a No. 2 pick, with teammates like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, Holmgren hasn't been asked to be his team's first or even second option. So, his numbers might undersell his impact. He's already one of the league's best young bigs, though, and he had some big nights in the playoffs to help OKC win the 2025 title.

Green quickly established himself as an exciting young guard to watch after Houston drafted him, averaging 20 points a game over four seasons with the team. He surely would have been a face of the franchise going forward had it not been for his involvement in the massive seven-team trade that ultimately landed Kevin Durant with the Rockets.

Traded shortly after getting drafted by the 76ers, Van Horn performed well in his new home of New Jersey, only losing Rookie Of The Year because he was up against No. 1 pick Tim Duncan. Van Horn's career wasn't anything close to Duncan-like, but it was solid nonetheless. He wasn't always his team's first option, but he was regularly a strong supporting piece.

Anthony Bennett is infamously one of the least productive No. 1 picks ever, but No. 2 selection Oladipo ended up doing much better. He wasn't awesome his first few seasons, but when he landed in Indiana his fourth year, it looked like he was going to be a star. He was, too, but just for a couple of years before injuries stopped him in his tracks.

Bibby was never a star, but his career was certainly better than that of 1998 No. 1 pick Michael Olowokandi. Bibby was impressive as a rookie in Vancouver, and he continued to improve in Sacramento. He helped the Kings reach the Conference Finals in 2002, and by 2006, he was averaging 21 points and 5 assists a game.

Karl-Anthony Towns worked out great as a No. 1 pick, while it's been more of a mixed bag for Russell. He started out in LA with a lot of promise, which he realized in Brooklyn by getting an All-Star nod. Bouncing around the league from there, his value has gradually diminished, and now, he plays a more minimal role in Dallas.

Okafor had a strong enough rookie campaign to pick up the ROTY trophy, with averages of 15 points and 10 rebounds. That was as good as it got for him, but he also delivered value in averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game for ten seasons. He wasn't a star, but he ended up being a solid journeyman.

The Ball pick is a little tough to swallow for the Lakers in retrospect, as those chosen after him in the 2017 draft are now stars like Jayson Tatum, De'Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, and Donovan Mitchell. For at least his first few years, though, Ball was on a solid trajectory, proving himself as one of the league's best distributors. Ever since missing two seasons straight due to injury, though, he hasn't been the same.

Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like the one-two punch of the future in 2017, when they both averaged over 20 points per game. While Giannis continued his ascent, though, injuries caused Parker to stagnate. Not long after, he was out in Milwaukee, and pretty quickly after that, he was out of the league entirely.

Turner's pro career failed to live up to his great collegiate years, but he was still a nice player in the NBA. He was a versatile wing and a solid playmaker for his position, capable of guarding multiple positions and handling the ball when called upon. His versatility and basketball IQ kept him in the NBA for a productive decade.

The 2008 draft ended up being pretty deep, and Beasley, while he had a decent career, will not be remembered as one of that year's better picks. He logged 19 a game for an awful Minnesota team in his third season, his statistical peak. After that, though, he bounced around the league in supporting roles.